FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - From unloading airplanes to screening counterfeit products: Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) visited Frankfurt Airport to find out about the work of customs - and promised a digitalization boost. This is because the number of clearances is growing, as the President of the General Customs Directorate, Colette Hercher, reported on Friday: Customs cleared more than 413 million consignments worth 1.4 trillion euros nationwide last year: "A significant increase."

At Europe's largest cargo airport, Lindner has customs officers explain every step of the process to him. The one-hour tour through Cargo City starts on the apron, where a Condor aircraft was unloaded. "Frankfurt is to cargo what London is to passengers," explains Condor CEO Peter Geber to the guest from Berlin: the most important transshipment point and central hub.

Leaning over a laptop, a customs officer shows the minister how the goods are checked against the relevant documents. "We make an initial selection based on risk aspects," says René Tetzlaff, head of the main customs office in Frankfurt. If absolutely everything were checked, it would delay the processes at the airport too much.

Then it's off to one of five check-in points at Frankfurt Fraport Airport with 300 employees. Tetzlaff also reports to the Minister on the "rapidly increasing volumes" of handling. 47 million shipments or 1.8 million tons of freight in 2023. Customs constantly need new buildings and more staff. Customs employs 48,000 people nationwide.

In the high warehouse, a sports car worth millions captivates the minister's gaze. Boxes of headphones of all kinds are piled up in the "inspection hall", with Chinese characters on the boxes. Next door, e-scooters are being x-rayed - they are counterfeit. 3.3 million counterfeit products were seized in 2023, as customs chief Hercher later reports. Customs also discovered 55 tons of narcotics nationwide, "a sad record".

Lindner used the annual report from customs - outside with the typical sounds of airport storms - primarily for praise: "Customs is a partner to the economy, but it also protects consumers and ensures safety," he said. "Customs revenue makes a significant contribution to the federal budget." Customs collected 158 million euros in duties for Germany and the EU in 2023.

"Efficient, digitalized customs is an important location factor," says Linder. Progress has been made in the digitalization of processes and Germany is now in a "good" position in international comparison, but there is "further need for action". Thanks to digital risk analysis, it is possible to filter out what needs to be checked. Without this risk orientation, "the whole place would be at a standstill", adds the customs boss. "Checks are sand that we throw into the gears."

The customs police union does not agree with the tenor of the event: "Customs could hardly be more neglected," said its chairman Frank Buckenhofer.

Neither the control units nor the search service have been seriously strengthened in recent decades and adapted to the significantly changed crime situation. The figures proudly presented on Friday by the authority's management and the minister are solely due to dedicated customs officers "who, despite inadequate equipment and far too few staff, still give their all in the fight against crime"./sat/DP/stw